Solar wafers, such as those used to produce photovoltaic devices, are typically cut from semiconductor ingots using wire-saw devices. Wire-saw devices are generally preferred for wafer cutting because they are capable of cutting thin wafers with low material losses, high quality cut surfaces, and high yield compared to some other wafer cutting methods. Typical wire-saw devices slice an ingot into wafers using a web of thin wires contacted with an abrasive slurry, producing wafers that are contaminated with slurry and fine silicon dust. Therefore, before the wafers can be further processed or distributed to solar wafer processors the wafer surfaces must be cleaned.
Current solar wafer cleaning apparatus and methods are slow, inefficient, and costly, requiring several machines or process steps. Therefore, there is a need for improved solar wafer cleaning apparatus and methods